“It’s not difficult to find PR people,” he said. “But we are very traditional. We want to work with people we feel comfortable with.”

Colclough mainly uses two agencies on an ad hoc basis and distributes the work according to the type of project for which he wants advice. One of his advisers used to work for him more than a decade ago in his marketing department. The other firm has a connection with his accountants.

But not everyone has the luxury of such long-standing and happy relationships with their PR advisers and finding suitable help can be a challenge.

Paul Snape, managing director of Appeal, a Harrogate, North Yorkshire, agency that specialises in business launches, said the people who come to